


dirty little secret || stucky hogwarts au

by aciesthpa



Category: Captain America (Movies), Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bisexual Bucky Barnes, Bottom Steve Rogers, Crossover, F/M, Gay Steve Rogers, Gryffindor/Slytherin Inter-House Relationships, Hufflepuff & Slytherin Inter-House Friendships, M/M, Pietro Maximoff Lives, Post-Serum Steve Rogers, Pre-Serum Steve Rogers, Science Bros, Top Bucky Barnes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-17
Updated: 2021-02-10
Packaged: 2021-03-09 07:20:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,693
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27139966
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aciesthpa/pseuds/aciesthpa
Summary: A skinny Gryffindor kid and Slytherin's dream boy, an impossible pair, right? Wrong, Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes are an inseparable pair at Hogwarts, maybe a little more than "close friends"...
Relationships: Bruce Banner & Tony Stark, Bruce Banner/Natasha Romanov, Gamora/Peter Quill, James "Bucky" Barnes & Sam Wilson, James "Bucky" Barnes & Steve Rogers, James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers, Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Tony Stark, Sharon Carter/Steve Rogers, Steve Rogers & Natasha Romanov, Wanda Maximoff/Vision
Kudos: 12





	1. Off to Hogwarts...again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, this is my first fanfic on here! I'm a big fan of Harry Potter and the MCU, so I thought I'd write a fanfic incorporating the two!

Thick steam puffed from the smokebox of the Hogwarts Express, eager voices coming from every direction. Steve Rogers, now a third-year in Gryffindor, slowly made his way through the congested crowd that was Platform 9 ¾, his father gripped on his shoulder to keep the small boy close.

"You've got your things, and your owl?" his father hollered over the large crowd. Steve nodded and held up his owl's cage, watching his barn owl, Ozzy, groom himself.

Eventually getting to a carriage, Steve's little body carried his case and cage as he heard the whistle for the train, signaling the departure of the train. Quickly throwing his luggage into the nearest carriage, Steve rushed back to the window to wave to his father.

"Come back with good grades or don't come back at all!" he called from the platform. Steve smiled weakly as he saw his father's figure grow smaller and smaller, pulling himself back into the train carriage when he could no longer see Platform 9 ¾.

Steve began properly stowing his luggage this time, albeit rather awkwardly. He sat with Ozzy in his cage, softly stroking his feathers as he looked out at the lush nature just past the window. At the click of the door opening, Steve turned to see a familiar redhead standing in the doorway.

"Hey bitch," Natasha smirked, "You miss me?" Steve instantly noticed the perfect match of her maroon lipstick to her outfit and her hair.

"Oh, of course," Steve laughed as he embraced Natasha. "You think spending all my summer with my father is fun?" Natasha shrugged and plopped herself down on the seat, making herself comfortable for the long ride ahead of them.

"My summer wasn't better, just hung around all day without performing magic. It really sucks to see my parents constantly use it, why can't I?"

Steve sat down on the seat across her and crossed his arms. "Uh, because it's illegal Nat, duh. You could probably get away with it, but teach me your ways!"

"Never," Natasha winked as the door clicked open again.

"Clint," Steve greeted. "How was your summer?"

"Crazy, as usual." Clint crashed down next to Steve in an act of dramatic exhaustion. "Thank god I won't be looking after those little fucking devils for the rest of the year."

"Well, compared to both of us, your break was a lot better. Hey, where's the trolley lady? I wanna waste my money on candy."

As if on cue, a little knock on the carriage's window made all heads spin towards the little old lady. Nat bounced up and quickly rattled off her order before switching a few Galleons for her candy.

"Anything for you boys?" she asked sweetly.

"Two chocolate frogs and a licorice wand for me, please," Steve said. He gave her a few Sickles before returning to his seat.

"Boys, hold out your hand, it's time for Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans," Natasha taunted. Cling and Steve groaned but reluctantly held out their hands.

Steve and Clint closed their eyes as Nat shook the jelly beans around, before placing one in each boys' hand. They popped the candy into their mouths and waited for the flavor to flow.

"Oh, I already know this is gonna be bad," Steve chuckled as his tongue continued to search for the taste. Next to him, Clint let out an "ooh" followed by "I got a butterbeer one."

The taste of a rotten egg hit Steve's mouth, and he instantly spits his jelly bean on the floor.

"Yuck! Natasha, I hate you." Natasha only smirked and blew a kiss to him as she ate her jelly beans.

Steve continued gagging, he desperately needed water to get the taste out of his mouth. Instead, he broke open a chocolate frog and stuffed it in his mouth, the sweet milk chocolate quickly replacing the wretched flavor.

"Hey, you got Godric Gryffindor, it's your destiny to be in Gryffindor," Clint remarked, and Steve turned his attention to his chocolate frog card. The picture of Godric waved at him before moving out of the picture frame.

"Who wants my second frog?" Steve asked as he held up the package.

"Ooh, me, me, me!" Clint jumped. Steve easily handed it over and Clint smiled at his newly acquired treat. Natasha, however, gave Clint her signature death look.

"I wanted it," she said coldly.

"Oh," Clint gestured the candy toward her, "Well you can have it if you'd like."

"No, you wanted it."

"No, Nat, take it."

"It's yours! Stop being so nice!"

"I'm a Hufflepuff, bitch! Never!"

"Fine," Natasha huffed and snatched the chocolate frog without a second thought. "I don't have any friends and I don't need any."

"Uh-huh, bold words coming from someone in my hugging range," Steve retorted. Nat rolled her eyes but smiled as the trio ate in silence.

~~

The violent and abrupt halt of the train jostled Steve awake. It was dusk by now, Clint and Natasha were unloading their luggage. Steve jumped up to gather his belongings as well, hauling them again with some difficulty as he got onto the platform again.

Nat narrowed her eyes as she passed some obvious looking first-years, briefly listening in on their animated conversations.

"Natasha, stop, you're not allowed to poison the first-years," Steve joked. Nat rolled her eyes again as the trio settled into a horseless carriage.

After the annual sorting ceremony and a great back-to-school feast in the Great Hall, Steve scoped out the newly-sorted first-years to see if he could help direct them to the Gryffindor tower. He wasn't Head Boy or a Prefect, but he still liked helping them out. After all, he knew what it felt like to be new and bullied, mostly because he hasn't grown an inch since his first year; his large robes still seemed to hang awkwardly on his scrawny frame.

Spotting a frozen kid in the boisterous crowd, Steve went up to introduce himself.

"Hi there, I'm Steve. Do you need any help finding Gryffindor tower?"

The kid peered up at him and stuttered out, "Oh! Yes please, and thank you. I'm awfully jittery about this whole thing."

"It'll be fine, c'mon," Steve motioned the kid through the crowd.

"I'm Peter by the way," the kid said, "Peter Parker."

"Steve Rogers, nice to meet you."

"This place is so cool! I'm Muggle-born, so my family doesn't know much about this stuff, except for my aunt May, but she's never mentioned how cool it is.

"Did you know I had to row to get to the castle this evening? Do we have to do that every year, because it's really tiring..." Peter kept rambling on as Steve zoned him out, waving to his professors and fellow classmates as they all arrived at the moving staircases.

"Woah! This is amazing!" Peter exclaimed, watching the staircases twist and turn on the floors above and below them.

"Yeah, well, be careful around the hexes or pranks that Peeves might set. He's the poltergeist here and he's quite a prankster." Peter and Steve finally made it to their common room, a fire already blazing and back-to-school festivities roaring.

"Boys' dorms are upstairs to the left, go meet your roommates," Steve told the first-year, and Peter scrambled off.

"Rogers!" a voice called, and Steve spun to see Sam Wilson, Steve's first friend at Hogwarts.

"Wilson, you son of a bitch," Steve greeted as Sam pulled him into a tight hug.

"Man, I've missed you. Summer just dragged on and on..." Steve groaned.

"Yeah? Well, we're here now, have some Butterbeer!" Sam handed him a massive lager filled to the brim with the sweet liquid. Steve downed it immediately, he missed drinking these when he was at home with Muggle father.

Summers at home without his mother weren't the same anymore, it seemed Steve's parents were almost complete opposites. Steve's mum was a sweet, caring witch who was a Healer at St. Mungo's, and his father is a Muggle; a cold and calculating businessman who was hard to bond with. Since the death of Sarah Rogers last winter, Steve and his father had really grown apart.

~~

Festivities went on for a few hours before the new Head Boy, Scott, and the new Prefect, Carol, all shooed them off to bed. Steve and Sam climbed up to their shared dorm room and unpacked their personal things for the new school year. Ozzy was perched in his cage, softly hooting until Steve fed him his dinner, consisting of a few small mice. Quickly scrawling out a letter to his father, Steve let his owl out of the cage and gave him the letter for Ozzy to send.

"Is Professor Pierce still around to teach Potions?" Steve asked.

"God, I hope not. He's such an ass. I will be spending all of my time playing Quidditch though," said Sam, "But I'll be with you as well, we can go to Hogsmeade this year! It'll be me, you, Nat, Clint!"

"For sure," Steve yawned. Slipping on his pajamas, he settled himself into the familiar four-poster bed, the blankets and pillows easily lulling him to sleep.

"G'night Steve."

"Goodnight."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is also on my Wattpad ~ @aciesthpa
> 
> Hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	2. Who are you?

Steve practically inhaled his eggs and toast at breakfast the next morning. Jitters for the first day of classes rose in his chest, the buzz in his body keeping him eager and alert.

Looking down the Gryffindor table, Steve spotted Peter with a Ravenclaw girl, both seemed to be discussing something fervently, probably about Steve's same thoughts.

"Steven Rogers!" a voice called out, and Steve turned to see Professor Hill, the teacher for Defence Against the Dark Arts. She smiled down at him and handed over his timetable.

"Thank you, ma'am." Steve reviewed his classes for today, he had Charms, Potions, Transfiguration, and Arithmancy. For now, he had a free period before Charms, so he decided to calm his mind by hanging out in the courtyard. It was one of his favorite places to relax and study, besides the library.

Steve ambled over to Nat at the Slytherin table, ignoring the glares from his rival house.

"What do you have for your first hour?"

"Defence," Nat replied. "Why?"

"Come study with me before Defence Against the Dark Arts, you're already intimidating enough to pass the class."

"Fine, where are we going?"

"Courtyard."

Steve and Natasha walked together until they got to the courtyard, and Natasha hopped up in a large tree above the water fountain. Steve sat on the marble bench and crossed his legs, his long robes almost touching the ground.

"Steve, can I tell you something?" Natasha peered down at him from the tree branch, like a hawk preying on a mouse.

"Hm?"

"My brother taught me to Apparate," Natasha smirked.

"What?! Nat, you are a third-year, we're not supposed to do that! You said on the train that you were annoyed because you weren't able to use magic over the summer."

"Relax blondie, you remember my parents work for the Ministry? If something happened to my family, the Minister himself would freak out. And I won't be kicked out of Hogwarts."

"You can't apparate on Hogwarts grounds anyway, show me when we go to Hogsmeade. But still! Be more careful with your rambunctious activity."

Natasha only chuckled and said, "You're a real Hufflepuff, you sure you've been sorted correctly?"

"Shut up," Steve laughed.

"Hey, shortie!" Steve heard a voice from the hall. "Where've you been all summer?"

"Not trying to blow up my house like you, Stark!" Nat interjected. Tony Stark, the fourth-year Slytherin boy strolled towards them.

"Stark," Steve nodded. "Create anything new this summer?"

"Sadly no, I had limits on my magic for obvious reasons," Tony sighed, "But I had my potions, I had to buy 2 new cauldrons this summer from my occasional accidents, the highest quality of copper, of course..."

"We get it Stark, you're rich." Nat rolled her eyes. At that moment, Steve spotted Pepper Potts rushing towards the trio.

"Tony!" she exclaimed. "We need to get to class! Hi Nat, Hi Steve," she waved, out of breath from scrambling around Hogwarts.

"Of course darling, just catching up with some friends," Tony winked, and Pepper rolled her eyes.

"C'mon, we're gonna be late." She grabbed the shoulder of his robes and dragged him away, lecturing him all the while. "...and I can't look after myself and you all the time. How do you expect me to do that and be Ravenclaw's Prefect next year..."

"They're cute," Natasha remarked as the pair disappeared into the sea of students bustling about. "Are they a thing? Like, officially?"

"Stark denies it," Steve said, "But I think he adores her. They're practically inseparable."

"Oh, speaking of which," Nat grinned slyly, "What about you? Got your eye on anyone?"

Steve felt the tips of his ears heat up at the sudden change in topic. "Well, the thing is..."

"Miss Romanoff, shouldn't you be in class?" Professor Pierce called out, and Nat slipped off the tree's branch.

"Yes sir," she smirked and gave him a fake salute.

"Don't get smart with me, you twat. Get to class, I don't want to see you skipping this year." Nat turned back to Steve and waved, also rolling her eyes so that Pierce couldn't see. Steve smiled and waved her off, opening up his book to read alone quietly as the crowd in the halls died down...

"Hey, fag," a cold voice said behind him. Steve's eyes widened, he immediately recognized the cold voice of Brock Rumlow.

"Rumlow." Steve's mouth ran dry as Brock grabbed his collar, yanking him up.

"You're a real eyesore, Rogers, and I don't want to see your weak ass around here, twink." Brock stared him down and Steve slapped him across his face, causing him to drop Steve to the ground.

Steve scrambled back up and put his fists up, only to have Rumlow laugh at his puny stance.

"You don't give up, do you?" He quickly swung at Steve's face, punching him square in the jaw. Tears welled up in his eyes as he felt another punch in his nose, blood rapidly gushing down his face. Steve still got up and raised his fists, despite his blurred vision from his tears and injuries he had sustained thus far.

"Hey! Pick on someone your own size!" an unfamiliar voice came from behind Brock.

Rumlow turned around and swung at the other person, but the other guy got him first, knocking him in the face before pushing him to the ground. Rumlow immediately got to his feet and scurried off.

"Hey, you okay?" the boy said, and Steve looked up to meet the blue eyes of the stranger, and he pulled him off the ground.

"I'm okay, I would've gotten him," Steve mumbled.

The boy looked him up and down and smirked. "You sure could've." Steve glared at him but the boy only laughed, before staring at his face.

"I'm Bucky, by the way," the boy introduced, "Bucky Barnes."

"Barnes? I'm assuming you're a Slytherin, I don't even need to look at your robes," Steve said, glancing at his robe to confirm his Slytherin house.

"Yeah, well, I'm not trying to be like the rest of my family, it's pretty much tradition for everyone to be in Slytherin in my house. If I wasn't, I'd probably be disowned, which wouldn't be as bad as you think, and Merlin I'm rambling too much, we gotta get you cleaned up, come on," the boy quit his monologue and wrapped his arm around Steve, gripping onto his shoulder as they walked in step.

Bucky strolled right past the normal boys' restroom, and Steve glanced up to give him a quizzical look.

"I'm taking you to the Prefects' bathroom."

"Why?"

"Well, with a little help from my Prefect friends this year, I can go in and out of there whenever I please. I figured you'd like to be a little more secluded since you're all bloody and walking with a Slytherin."

"I don't think badly of Slytherins, except Rumlow. Have you ever met Natasha Romanoff? She's one of my best friends and she's a Slytherin."

Bucky chuckled nervously when Nat's name came up. "Yeah, I know her, she's super intimidating. I've thought about asking her on a date before since I'm allowed to go to Hogsmeade this year."

"Oh, so you're a third-year, then? I am too, I've always heard good things about Honeydukes. I was planning on going with Nat actually. If you wanted to take her out I'd be cool with it."

"Yeah..." Bucky smiled down at him, "maybe. Hopefully, Honeydukes and Zonko's is as good as they say, or my sister Becca is gonna be disappointed."

Steve and Bucky reached the Prefects bathroom, Bucky reciting the password and swiftly pulling Steve in.

"I'm Steve, by the way, I haven't introduced myself."

"Good to meet you, Steve. Come here, I've got a wet paper towel." Steve shuffled towards Bucky standing at the sink as Bucky shut the water off, holding the towel to Steve's nose and gently gripping his chin to gently wipe the blood off.

"Do you get bullied by Rumlow often?" Bucky asked.

"Yeah, mostly just for my size, or my dead mom, or the fact that I'm gay—Ow! That stings." Bucky gave him a look that said Sorry! as he threw away the bloody napkin.

Wetting a new one, Bucky's fingertips tenderly clutched Steve's chin again, glancing into his eyes before wiping the new blood spilling out.

"You're gay? I wouldn't've guessed." Steve's ears heated up again as his palms turned cold and clammy.

"Yeah, nobody knows." Bucky raised his eyebrows at that, studying at the rest of his face.

"Not even Natasha?"

"Well, I was gonna tell her, but we were interrupted by Professor Pierce."

"Ugh, I hate Pierce. He always gives me shitty grades in Potions, but I'm more of a Defence Against the Dark Arts guy."

"I've always wanted to play Quidditch, especially because my friend, Sam, is Gryffindor's best Chaser."

"You could always be a Seeker, just need a fast broom and good eyesight." Bucky handed Steve a dry paper towel and threw the dirty one away. "Keep that one on there, until it stops bleeding."

"I know, Dumbo, I've had bloody noses before." Bucky flashed a smile toward him before motioning Steve to follow him out of the Prefects' restroom. 

"If Rumlow or anyone gives you another hard time, tell me," Bucky said, his serious face staring down at Steve. "I'm serious, I don't want you to get hurt." He raised his eyebrows, and Steve nodded to agree. Steve's watch beeped to signal the end of everyone's first class, realizing that he needed to get to Charms.

"Thank you, Bucky, for saving me and cleaning me up," Steve said.

"No problem, you punk. I'll see you around." Bucky winked and turned to go to his class. _He's quite interesting_ , Steve thought to himself. He went back to the courtyard to gather his things and hustled to Charms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is also on my Wattpad ~ @aciesthpa
> 
> Hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	3. Where are you now?

"Nat, I need your help. How much do you know about Bucky Barnes?" Steve rushed over to Natasha's group of Slytherin friends, Tony and Loki. He took deep breaths as to not have an asthma attack.

"I know a lot about everyone," she winked. "In your case, his full name is James Buchanan Barnes, his family's ancestors were following Voldemort when he was alive, some were assassins to kill Harry Potter when he attended Hogwarts. He enjoys Defence Against the Dark Arts—we're partners in class right now—and he's mentioned something about the orchestra, I believe he plays the cello."

"Wow, you are actually creepy," Tony chimed in, "How much do you know about me?"

"Both of your parents are dead, you didn't have a great relationship with your father, Howard, and you have a real thing for Pepper Potts. You enjoy creating new potions and spells with Bruce Banner."

"Bruce? Who's that?" Loki asked.

"A fourth-year Ravenclaw, and my best friend," Tony beamed. "And Pepper and I are just friends, pursuing a romantic relationship would be highly unprofessional."

"Uh-huh, sure, and my ass of chicken," Loki rolled his eyes, "But why do you want to know about him anyway?"

Steve's face heated up, but he shook his head. "No reason, just wondering." Nat stared at him, and when he made eye contact she gave him a stern, questioning look. Steve shook his head as if to say we'll talk later, and Natasha smoothly changed the subject.

"So, how's Quidditch going, Loki?"

"Quite well, actually," Loki smirked at Steve, "We're probably going to beat Gryffindor this year."

"Oh, no you aren't! Just wait till you see what Sam has been practicing, we're gonna beat you just like last year." Steve crossed his arms arrogantly as the rest of the Slytherins in the group booed the small Gryffindor.

"Kids!" a Professor called. "Get to class!"

"Yes, Professor Happy!" Tony called.

"I mean it, Stark!" he retorted. "Where's Peter, I hope he's not lost...kids! You get to class too, your parents pay good money for this school..."

"Happy is Peter's godfather, that's why he's always so concerned about him," Nat whispered to the group. Steve nodded as he saw a familiar face walking to the South Tower for Charms class.

"I've gotta get to Charms class," Steve blurted as he gave Natasha a quick side hug and dashed to catch up to his friend. "Bruce, hey, Bruce!" Steve wheezed as he finally caught up to him. "We'll talk later Nat, enjoy Herbology," Steve called over his shoulder as he tagged onto Bruce.

"Hey," Bruce greeted, "Who's that?"

"Natasha Romanoff, you know her?"

"No, but she looks terrifying," he gulped.

"That's all a façade, I'll introduce you to her." The duo halted at the door as the Charms instructor, Professor Strange, approached the group of students standing outside.

"Welcome class, make your way inside and find a seat. Be warned, sitting with friends and messing around will only lower your grade." The third-year Gryffindors and Ravenclaws quickly settled into the classroom, eager faces and lively chatter buzzing around in excitement for the new school year. Bruce and Steve settled into a duo desk together as Professor Strange demonstrated a quick spell.

"Our first lesson this year will be the general counter-spell, known as Finite or Finite Incantatem. This a counter-spell used to terminate all spell effects, especially in duels or minor jinxes and hexes.

"Pull out your textbooks to page ten, study the wand movements and possible side effects of a minor accident."

~~

"Hey, Bruce, you know Bucky Barnes? He's supposedly a third-year Slytherin and I'm just interested in his background," Steve whispered as Bruce attempted his first Finite Incantatem.

"Not a lot really, I've heard his family's got a dark past, but besides that, nothing. Why do you ask?"

"He got me out of a fight with Brock Rumlow earlier today, I guess I'd just like to be more acquainted with him."

"Yeah, that's cool, you up for a study group tonight? It's just me and Tony so far."

"Definitely, I'll bring Natasha so you can meet her, too." The tips of Bruce's ears turned bright red as he smiled, his eyes illuminating behind the lens of his glasses. Steve focused on his Charms lesson, but in the back of his mind he wondered if Bucky was really like his supposed "dark family", but he had a sense he didn't. If he were, he would've probably just joined Brock and made fun of his puny size.

"Finite. Finite Incantantem," he chanted under his breath. He pushed the mysterious Slytherin boy out of his thoughts completely as he attempted his spell, taking a deep breath and focusing on the dummy in front of him. To his surprise, the leg-locker curse on the dummy faded, and he heard a quiet cheer from Bruce behind him.

"Excellent work, Mr. Rogers," Professor Strange commented.

"Thank you, sir." Steve's big smile beamed as he returned to his seat.

~~

Steve's next class was Potions with the 3rd-year Slytherins, and he wondered if he'd see Bucky there. Nevertheless, it was the only class he had with Sam, despite Professor Pierce's sour attitude, especially towards Gryffindors. Bruce slipped him a quick slip of paper to remind him of the study group later that evening, and Steve strolled to the dungeons.

"Today, you will be working with a partner to concoct the Babbling Beverage, a potion that causes the drinker to babble nonsense. Gather your ingredients, the recipe can be found on page 7 of your Intermediate Potions Making textbook," Professor Pierce droned. Steve's eyes immediately found Sam's, partnering up always made class more enjoyable.

"Don't come to me if you need help, figure it out yourself. Your timer starts... now." Professor Pierce sat to read a book as the rest of the students hustled to find partners and potion ingredients. Steve made his way to Sam's desk and pulled out his book.

"Professor?" A voice called out, "I don't have a partner."

"Join another group, then, Mr. Barnes, this is a simple problem-solving skill," Pierce sneered. Steve turned to see Bucky standing alone in the middle of the classroom, looking around at everyone that already was grouped and working.

"Come join us, Bucky," Steve called. Bucky's eyes softened and smiled in appreciation as he pulled up a chair to Sam and Steve.

"Thanks. I'm Bucky, by the way," he held out his hand, but Sam just closed his fist to bump Bucky's hand.

"Sam Wilson, nice to meet you. I'm gonna grab the valerian sprigs, aconite, dittany, and whatever else is needed for this fucking potion," he said as he shuffled out of his seat.

"I really appreciate letting me into your group," Bucky uttered softly, "as you can tell, most people wouldn't want me as a partner."

"Hey, don't belittle yourself, you seem pretty cool to me." Steve smiled reassuringly at Bucky as Sam's figure came hobbling back with handfuls of ingredients. The boys worked together as fast as they could, their shared inexperience and dispassion for Potions shone through as their cauldron ended up with a murky, maroon-colored potion. When Professor Pierce stopped at their desk, he rolled his eyes and let out an exasperated sigh at the sight of the potion.

"You three earned a lower mark than the rest of the class, not a great way to start the year, boys." Steve's face and ears flushed red as he stared at the cauldron, desperately wishing for it to magically turn into the most perfect Babbling Beverage. Sam scoffed as Pierce walked to other groups' tables.

"Screw him, he doesn't even teach us anything." Bucky got up to dump the contents of the potion before the bell rang. Steve stopped Bucky in the hallway during the passing period.

"Hey, you wanna come to a study group tonight? It's me, Sam, and my other friends, you interested?"

"I'd like to, but I'm not one for studying in large groups," he politely declined.

"Oh! Sorry, I didn't realize. How about just me and you, then? What's a subject you need to improve in?"

"Potions, definitely Potions. Or Transfiguration. We can study in my dorm, I'll sneak you in," Bucky winked.

Steve giggled. "Well, I'm way better at Transfig..."

"Okay, I'll meet you after supper by the Gryffindor table and get you to my dorm. You might just need to change the color of your tie." Steve nodded and said goodbye to Bucky as he hurried to his next class.

~~

"You need to start talking about whatever happened this morning. Spill it now, I'll know if you're lying."

"Good evening to you too, Nat," Steve mumbled with a full mouth of food. Gryffindors around him questioned Natasha's presence at the long dining table, but she just focused her glare on Steve, sitting at the table to cross her arms. Steve washed down his food with pumpkin juice and ran his hand through his hair, a nervous habit of his.

"This morning, after you left for class, Rumlow found me. He started beating me up, but Bucky came out of nowhere and saved my skinny ass. We snuck into the Prefect's bathroom and he cleaned me up–" he pointed out his nose and slightly bruised jaw "–and that's it. He was just being nice, I knew he'd be Slytherin because everyone in his family is."

"I'm going to kill that son of a bitch," Natasha murmured. "Why did he beat you up?"

"Well, mostly just for my size, said he didn't want to see my weak ass around here..." Steve's eyes met Natasha's, and she stared deep into his soul.

"Why else?" she pried. Steve took a big bite of bread and chewed thoughtfully to put off the topic as long as he could.

"He... he called me a... fag," he whispered, leaning in closer to her.

She furrowed her eyebrows. "Are you? Not a fag obviously, but are you gay?" Steve clenched his jaw and nodded slowly. To his surprise, Natasha's eyes brightened.

"I knew it, I knew it! I always had a feeling," she smiled. "I'm sorry that I pried this out of you, it probably takes a lot to admit it. But I'm here to support you in any way possible, darling." She blew a friendly kiss across the table, and Steve grinned.

"Nobody knows, Nat, except Bucky, it accidentally slipped from my mouth. But no one should know, I'll tell them when I'm ready." Natasha nodded and made an 'X' over her heart.

"It's not my place to tell, you do it on your own time," she said solemnly, "but... what do you think about that Slytherin dream boy?" she sniggered.

"No! God, Natasha, no! I've only just met him, he's definitely not gay."

"He does hang out with a lot of girls..." Natasha recalled.

"Because he's straight–"

"Shh, he's coming over!" Steve whipped his head around to see Bucky walking up to the table.

"Hey, how come Gryffindor's got better food here?" the Slytherin boy greeted.

"We're everyone's natural favorite," Steve beamed. Natasha, however, just rolled her eyes.

"It's the same damn food at our table."

"Whatever, Bucky and I are going to study," Steve said, pushing away his plate and turning to get up. He fished the note he was passed earlier, "Bruce Banner is having a study sesh in the library tonight if you're interested." Nat ate a spoonful of peas & carrots and nodded.

"See you later boys," she winked at Steve knowingly, and Steve sighed and rolled his eyes. Bucky met his eyes with a questioning look but pulled out his wand and pointed it at Steve's tie.

"Colovaria," he whispered and Steve looked down to see his gold and maroon tie change to a silver and emerald color.

"Not bad at all," Bucky remarked as the two boys made their way through the Great Hall. Stopping at Gryffindor Tower, Steve grabbed his materials to study and snuck quietly through the common room and out of the Fat Lady's portrait.

"What were you and Natasha talking about before I came over?" Bucky asked, breaking the silence as the pair strode to the dungeons.

"Oh," Steve's ear immediately went pink, "Well, I came out to her, as I said I would."

"Good for you!" Bucky clapped him on the back as they approached the Slytherin's common room. Bucky mumbled something in Latin as the entrance appeared, and Steve's eyes widened in surprise.

"It's dark and depressing, I know."

"Not too bad at all," Steve grinned as he took a moment to look around the unfamiliar surroundings. Despite the hissing fire in the fireplace, the room was a lot darker than Gryffindor's, but it had lavish furniture and large windows that looked out to the Black Lake.

"That's cool," Steve pointed at the windows, "you ever see merpeople?"

"Sometimes, yeah. They're bigger than you think, I'm grateful for the unbreakable glass." Bucky subtly glanced over Steve's features, for Steve was still admiring the minor details of the common room.

"I can see why Natasha loves being in Slytherin, it's a completely different mood from Gryffindors."

"Explains why we're usually arch-nemeses. C'mon, let's go up to my dorm." He lightly tugged on Steve's shirt as he finished glancing around, and followed Bucky up a winding staircase. Upon stepping into the dorm room, Steve noted that the layout was similar to Gryffindor's dorms. Same five beds, different colors and decorations obviously, and the view to the Black Lake, something he didn't see in his dorm.

"I know it may not be as nice as your dorm," Bucky said, pulling Steve out of his thoughts.

"Oh no, I think it's great! Different, but great." Steve smiled and Bucky motioned over to his bed, the messiest bed of them all. Bucky blushed as he flicked his wand, the mess of his bed quickly disappearing.

"Okay, Transfiguration," Steve began, "get your Intermediate Transfiguration book, we'll practice the spell Owl to Opera Glasses for practice..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is also on my Wattpad ~ @aciesthpa
> 
> Hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	4. A New Friend

A few hours later, the boys were each in their designated spots, Steve curled up with homework on Bucky's four-poster bed, and the other boy rolled around on the floor with his cat, Alpine.

"Steve?"

"Hmm?"

"Earlier, you mentioned your mother... that she passed away. Are you okay with it? You do seem to cope." Bucky glanced up at Steve from his position on the floor, petting the cat's soft head.

Steve sighed and rubbed his eyes, they burned from the intense reading and writing of the last few hours. "I guess. It's just different without her around. I'm a half-blood, so my Dad's a Muggle and Mum was a Healer at St. Mungo's.

"My mother was kind and she truly cared about other people. My father is just another average businessman in the Muggle world. It's not that I don't love him, we're just very different.

"Since her death, it's been harder to communicate with him. He grieves her death by burying himself in his work, never taking a break." Alpine jumped up on the bed and nestled himself on Steve's lap, right on his book. Bucky got up to sit across Steve, leaning on the wood post at the foot of the bed.

"Neither of us has perfect families, that's for sure," Bucky chuckled. "I'm never home to visit for Christmas or Easter." He smiled sadly as Alpine stretched out long on his back, allowing both boys to scratch his belly.

"You wanna listen to some music?" Bucky suggested, "I'm rather fascinated with record players, but my family despises any Muggle objects."

"Sure, what do you have?"

"Classical," Bucky laughed, "that's pretty much it." He pulled out a box of vinyl and flipped through them hastily. "Chopin?" he asked, holding up a worn record sleeve.

"Sure."

"Excellent, I love Arthur Rubinstein," Bucky winked as he dropped the needle on the vinyl and the song started to play.

"Oh, I've heard this before!" Steve jumped from the bed and swayed awkwardly. Bucky laughed as he moved his head to the complex composition. Steve closed his eyes, listening deeply and imagined himself listening to this at a live concert. He wondered if his mother would enjoy something like this.

Before long, the song was over, and Steve opened his eyes, only to find Bucky's eyes observing him. Bucky let out an awkward laugh and looked away.

"Sorry," he nervously chuckled as he fidgeted with his fingers, "You looked like you were really in the moment. What were you thinking about?"

"My mother. If this song could be played at a live concert, I'd wonder if she'd like it," Steve sighed. A wave of fatigue came over him as he checked his watch. 9:52, he had 8 minutes to make it back in time for curfew.

"I should go," Steve yawned. Bucky nodded and helped the small boy up, Steve rubbed his eyes and gathered his belongings, only to stuff them lazily in his bag.

"Thanks for helping me with Transfiguration, I appreciate it," Bucky said. "Make sure to change your tie back to its original color or you'll be explaining your actions to the Headmaster," he winked. Steve grinned as he made his way to the door. Bucky slouched back on his bed and curled up with Alpine, the little cat nuzzling into Bucky's arm.

"See ya later, Buck," Steve waved and pushed the door out. He hastily hurried out of the Slytherin common room, only pausing to wave to Natasha. Upon reaching the Gryffindor Tower, Steve whispered a quick _Colovaria _to change his tie.__

__"Cutting it close, Rogers," called out the Head of Gryffindor House. He tapped his wand to his watch impatiently as Steve slipped through the door._ _

__"Sorry Professor Coulson! I'll be back earlier next time," he said, nodding respectfully to his Professor. He tripped up the stairs hurriedly, heading straight to his bed to crash._ _

__"Have an eventful evening?" greeted Sam. Steve noticed him swamped with paper and textbooks around him, wrinkles prominent on his friend's forehead._ _

__"Yeah, sorry I didn't make it to the study group. I was studying with Bucky instead."_ _

__"Were you working on Potions without me? I gotta pass the class too, you know," Sam chuckled, "I didn't end up going either. Quidditch practice, gotta beat Slytherin this weekend."_ _

__"You'll be great," Steve yawned. He slumped into the bathroom to change into pajamas and brush his teeth. Just as he got comfortable and cocooned in his bed, a frantic tap at the window caught his attention. From the window, his owl was perched outside with a large package in its beak._ _

___What's this? _He wondered as he accepted the package and fed the owl a few treats. Opening the poorly wrapped package, a note slipped out, which he proceeded to read first.__ _ _

_____Steven, _ ____ _ _ _ _

_______I dug this up from some of Mum's old boxes, figured it'd be helpful for you. ____ _ _ _ _ _

_________-Dad ____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Steve tore off all of the paper to reveal a large book titled _The History of the Rogers Family Tree. _Well, it was more like a scrapbook, notes and paper hanging out of the side, the cover peeling a bit at the corners. Upon opening the book, Steve saw a scribbled note from one of his supposed ancestors, the writing dated back to 1786! With increasing interest, Steve peered into the first few pages to see a drawing of one of his ancestors, William Rogers.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________The sketch waved at him, with Steve's similar blond hair, and suddenly shifted his appearance to a bird, beak sprouting to replace his nose, his eyes shifting to a bird's blank stare, a yellow ring circling the pupil._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Steve's eyes widened. "He's a Metamorphmagus!" he exclaimed._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________"Who?" Sam asked. Steve upheaved the large book to show Sam, and the sketch moved to shift into another creature._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________"Cool! Is the rest of your family like that?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________"I don't know, this is all I've seen, but I didn't realize that some were Metamorphmagi."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________A certain thought entered Steve's head, and out of curiosity, he turned to the last few pages of the book. Sarah Rogers was the last name in the book, followed by numerous blank pages for the future descendants._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________"Hi mum," he whispered, smiling softly at the picture of his mother, who waved to Steve and blew an air kiss. Steve sniffled and wiped the snot flowing from his nose. Sam came to stand next to Steve, rubbing his shoulder to comfort his friend._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________"I really miss her," Steve mumbled, sharply inhaling a breath as he stared at his mother's picture._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________"I know, I do too. C'mon, let's get to bed, you'll be exhausted tomorrow." Sam motioned Steve out of the bed, and the blond boy settled into his four-poster bed, massaging his temples from a dull headache._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________He recalls memories of his mother, usually with an ice pack to soothe his headaches at times like this. Despite the stressful job as a Healer, she always made time for her Steve. The blond boy rolled to his side, sleep quickly falling upon him with his mother on the back of his mind._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _


End file.
